One Arrow
by TouchofPixieDust
Summary: Kikyo shoots Kagome with an arrow... but why? All it takes is one arrow to change lives forever.
1. One Arrow

Disclaimer: All Inuyasha characters are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. I only borrow them…

One Arrow 

He knelt by her body, the arrow he had pulled from her chest just moments ago was clutched in his bloody hands. Her blood.

There was no string of curse words, no shouting or yelling, just a quiet command as he gathered the girl's body into his arms and held her close.

"Leave. If I ever see you again, I will kill you."

It wasn't a threat, and I knew it. It was a promise.

I watched as the dog eared half demon carried my reincarnation off towards the village. He never once looked back.

I will miss the encounters with Inuyasha. I will always remember the rare hugs and the one kiss I stole from him. He reminds me of when I was alive.

Although I did care for him once, I never truly loved the hanyou, not the way that girl from the future does. She was allowed to. For me duty had been more important, it had been the focus of my entire life. Eventually I saw the surly dog demon as a way to escape my fate as the cursed protector of the jewel.

I laugh without humor. Fate had seen to it that my role as the protector of the Shikon jewel had indeed ended, but instead of being granted the life of an ordinary woman, I had been murdered. Murdered, then brought back to life in a body of grave soil and bones, living by borrowing part of the soul of my reincarnation, forced to take the souls of dead maidens to continue this wretched life.

It is most definitely not how I had imagined life would be.

Eventually the red of Inuyasha's fire rat robe disappears from sight. He never really loved me either, not the way he loves that girl, the one I shot with my arrow only minutes before. Kagome.

The girl hadn't begged for her life as she stood before me. She hadn't cursed or cried. She simply stood there. Stood there and let herself be shot. There had been a calm, but sad, acceptance in her eyes.

"Stupid girl."

Obviously she still thinks that Inuyasha is pining for me. She would give her life so that he may be happy with me. Stupid girl. He chose her long ago, though even he may not know it yet.

I will admit to being envious of Kagome. But I do not hate her. I would like to hate her. My life was stolen and she has replaced me.

"Kikyo."

I turn my head to acknowledge my approaching younger sister. It saddens me to see Kaede. She has grown old. I missed most of her life. She was but a child when I left this world and an old woman when I returned. It is yet another reminder that I do not belong in the world of the living.

"What do you want?" I ask my younger, yet older, sister.

Kaede stands before me now. She is no longer the child I remember. She is a wise and powerful priestess. If I had not died, she would have been able to live the life of an ordinary woman. Perhaps she would have had children and grandchildren. I wonder if she ever has the same regrets of being forced to give up a life of normalcy.

"You shot young Kagome." It wasn't an accusation. It was a statement of fact.

"Yes."

"Yet you did not kill her."

"No." My sister is not a stupid woman. She is a skilled healer. She knows that I missed the heart on purpose. She knows that I did not intend to kill the girl. I wonder if she told Inuyasha. I hope not. It would defeat the purpose of the attack.

We stand beside each other in silence. The wind is cool. The moon is beautiful on this clear night, and the stars twinkle merrily. Occasionally the silence would be broken by the chirping of crickets.

"She has a pure soul." I had not necessarily intended to speak my thoughts.

"Yes," agrees Kaede.

"And she loves him."

"Yes."

At last I turn to face my sister. "Will she be strong enough to face Naraku?"

Kaede smiles. "Without a doubt." She says this with such surety that I can not disbelieve her. "Once she heals."

I look once more to the moon. "In the end, it will all be up to her."

"I know."

"She will likely have to sacrifice her life."

"That too do I know," Kaede said sadly.

"She can not do it if there is evil in her heart. No envy. No jealousy."

"I agree."

I turn again to my sister. More than likely she already knows, but I feel as if I should explain to her my actions. "I do not hate the girl. But it had to be done. His sense of duty to me would have killed her in the end. Her doubts would have caused her to falter and all of humanity would be lost under Naraku's rule."

There is silence. I can see in her face that she knows this as well. Kaede also loves this young girl from the future. Yet another person in my life who would choose the life of the girl over mine. But that is the way it should be.

"He hates me now."

"That I do not doubt," Kaede says in all sincerity.

I remember his parting words. "He says he will kill me if he sees me again."

"Aye, that he will."

"I wish it was me, Kaede."

She does not pretend to not know what I am talking about. "I know."

"I will miss you. And him."

Kaede looks at me sadly. She knows that this will be the last time that we meet. At least this time we get to say our good-byes. "Where will you go?"

I look off to the mountains.

"I will stay near until I am certain that Naraku is defeated. Then I will simply wander. I will help those I can with the life left in me. It is the only way to atone." I can not bring myself to end this life of mine to return the girl's soul to complete it once more.

There is no doubt in me that she will defeat Naraku.


	2. One Breath

One Breath

He waited.

He listened.

He prayed to every god he had ever heard of.

One breath. That's all he wanted. One breath. One heartbeat. _Please._

He couldn't breathe until she did. His heart did not want to beat unless hers would beat. There was no point in living if she was not.

Inuyasha sat with Kagome's head in his lap as Kaede worked feverishly. When they first arrived the old woman had told him not to worry, that Kikyo's arrow had missed the heart. Kagome wouldn't die, she assured him. But then she wouldn't stop bleeding. She would not wake up. And she would not breathe.

Shippo sat quietly beside Inuyasha. The dog demon let him. Even though all his instincts screamed at him to make everyone leave so he could take care of his mate, he let the young kit stay. After all, she was his mother now, and he had the right to stay. Tears fell down the child's face, but he wasn't sobbing. He was pleading with her to wake up. He begged her to open her eyes. He told her he loved her over and over and would do anything if she would only be okay.

He said all the things that Inuyasha wished that he could say, but no words could escape the hanyou's mouth. He couldn't breathe.

Sango was close to hysterics. Inuyasha knew that losing Kagome, her sister, just might break the strong demon exterminator. When Kagome's heart quit beating, when she would not breathe, that is when the woman began to crumble. Inuyasha knew that she in the other room crying, and Miroku was using his calming words.

Miroku comforted Sango, but the trembling in his voice let Inuyasha know that the monk would be devastated if Kagome di… if she didn't wake up.

Would their little group survive without the girl from the future? They were brought together because of her. They were a pack, a family, because of her. They were stronger… happier… complete… all because of her.

_Breathe Kagome. Please. Just one breath._

Never in his life had Inuyasha been filled with such rage as when he saw Kikyo aim that arrow at Kagome's chest. He could not move fast enough to keep it from hitting its mark. Never had he been filled with so much hate, not even for Naraku. Kikyo had stolen Kagome from him, and he hated himself for not being fast enough to stop that arrow. And fear. He couldn't recall a time when he was so afraid as when he held her in his arms with her blood flowing.

Kagome. The only thing in the entire world that had given him joy. Light. Love. Acceptance. A reason for taking that next breath.

He knew he loved her. He had known that he had strong feelings for her even before the kit had joined them in their quest. He knew it was love after the Miroku had kidnapped her for the jewel shards. He also knew that she loved him too. It had taken him a little longer to figure that out, but he never doubted it for a moment once he finally figured it out. The girl was pretty obvious.

He also knew that until Naraku was defeated that they should just try and pretend that they didn't love. Too many complications.

But now… Now Inuyasha wished that he had told her how he felt from the very beginning. He wished that he had taken every opportunity he had been given to tell her how much she meant to him. He wished that he had never given her a moment to doubt his love for her.

He even wished that Kikyo had never been resurrected. How many of those misunderstandings wouldn't have happened if the dead miko had never been given that body of clay and bones? How many less tears would Kagome have shed? How many more hours and days would they have spent together, instead of having them wasted when she would run back to her own time? Kikyo had taken his precious time with Kagome away from him.

Furiously he pushed those thoughts away. He refused to think about HER again. Even her name brought out the desire to kill. No one hurts Kagome. Not even HER.

Shippo sniffled, bringing Inuyasha out of his dark thoughts.

Kagome's skin was beginning to change color. It was taking on a bluish tinge. If blood loss doesn't kill her, suffocation will. Inuyasha was terrified.

"Breathe for me Kagome," he begged as he brushed the hair out of her eyes. "I need you. Please come back to me."

Then he heard it.

One heartbeat.

One breath.

It was a faint heart beat. It was a ragged, painful breath. But they were there. One heartbeat followed another. Each one a little stronger, a little more sure. One breath followed another.

Then Kagome opened her eyes as a teardrop landed on her nose.

"Inuyasha?"

Afraid to move her, but needing to be closer to her, Inuyasha rested his forehead on hers. He couldn't talk. He didn't hear Shippo's excited squeals. He didn't hear Kaede announce to the others that Kagome lives. He didn't hear the shouts and tears of joy in the next room.

All he could hear was Kagome's heartbeat and every blessed breath she took.

That's all he needed to hear.


	3. One Dream

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me

One Dream

I stand before her, looking into eyes that have been dead for over fifty years. Eyes that are cold. Eyes disturbingly similar to mine.

This is the woman he is in love with. The woman he fights so hard for. I can't compete with her. I don't have her beauty. I don't have her strength. I don't have her power. And I don't have the heart of the man we both love.

I stand before her, wishing it could have been me that he loved.

She raises her bow and draws an arrow, pointing it to my chest. I don't say a word. No begging or crying or cursing. I simply stand there. Waiting. I'm so tired of not being good enough. Perhaps if I am gone she can use my soul to become stronger, maybe even become human again. Stranger things have happened. I've been shrunk down to the size of a finger at Peach Man's hut, so I should know.

A flash of red and silver catches my eye. He's here. I didn't want him to see this. I feel ashamed for being so weak, so… inadequate.

Then it hits me. I love him. I changed my mind, I don't want to leave him! I don't care if he loves Kikyo, it's enough that I can be near him. He needs me, whether or not he knows it.

Who will make him Ramen if I'm dead?

I open my mouth, but before a sound can come out I feel the burning pain exploding in my chest. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts so bad!

Slowly my world becomes dark… and it strikes me as funny… I've been pinned to a tree by Kikyo's arrow… just like Inuyasha.

Darkness begins to swirl.

Then I'm standing there. Again. Standing in front of that stupid tree, looking into her cold eyes. Waiting for that stupid arrow.

It's the same. Over and over again. Every night I have the same dream. And every time like I was there, feeling every single thing again. Every doubt. Every bit of shame. Every second of pain. It's in some loop in my head that is sure to drive me insane. Why can't I dream about bunnies and rainbows? Just once. Pleeeeeease.

And every night I wake up in a cold sweat, with a worried half dog-demon staring down at me, looking at me with the same eyes I woke up to after being shot in the chest. But this time without the tear he refuses to awknowledge. I can feel him near, even now, but I keep my eyes tightly closed. I'm not ready to face him.

It's sweet that he's so worried about me. Really. But every since I woke up after being shot I haven't been out of his sight. The only exception is when Sango and I go bathe or I have to visit the bushes for, uh, personal reasons. And even then he insists on staying close enough to hear me. Talk about embarrassing. The only way I got to have a little peace then was if I talked the whole time. THE WHOLE TIME! If I stop talking he gets freaked out and starts yelling for me. Once he even burst through the bushes at the most inopportune time. Boy did he get 'sat' for that one.

I know I used to wish that he would pay more attention to me, but I really didn't mean quite THIS much attention.

Yesterday I saw some of Kikyo's soul catchers. So did Inuyasha. The look on his face actually scared me. I kinda feel sorry for Kikyo. I know it sounds weird feeling sorry for the woman who tried to kill you, but I do.

Besides, I'm not terribly sure she was actually trying to kill me. From what I used to hear, on a much too frequent basis, Kikyo was an excellent archer. She could have easily hit my heart or my brain. She could have shot me full of arrows instead of using just the one. Why didn't she kill me?

I tried asking Inuyasha once, but that wasn't a conversation that went well. He won't talk about her. And he won't let anyone else talk about her either. If the topic comes up and he can't stop it, he scoops me up and takes off to the tree tops.

The dream has me shook up. It's too real. I relive it every night. I hate it.

I open finally open my eyes. And there he is, staring down at me with his golden eyes, looking worried as ever. I give him a shaky smile. Those eyes melt my heart every time. It's impossible to stay angry at him.

"I love you," he tells me as he pulls me into a gentle hug, just as he has done every since I woke up from being shot by that awful, and wonderful, arrow.

I hug him back, trying to protect him from the fears I see in his eyes. He means the world to me and I would give anything to see one of his smirks again. If I'm angry at Kikyo for anything, it's for taking that smile of his away and putting that ever present fear in his eyes whenever he looks at me. I brush the hair out of his eyes and give him one of my best smiles.

"I love you too."

We hold onto each other, not wanting to let go.


	4. One Arrow

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me

One Arrow

I watch as the monk falls first. The poisonous insects are too much for him. I can't help the pang of jealousy as I watch him sacrifice himself for the woman beside him. I smile as the woman uses her weapon to destroy more demons than I can count. The love for the man laying at her feet turning her from merely a strong woman to a powerful fighter without rival. I envy the depth of that love.

The woman, powerful as she may be, cannot hope to destroy all the demons Naraku sends after her. Her fire cat cannot save her. Nor can she save the cat. Together they fall beside the monk and the brother who defied Naraku to fight at her side.

It is touching.

My sister uses a barrier to valiantly protect the fallen warriors who barely cling to life. She is old and weak. She will not last long. And when she falls, they will without a doubt all perish.

I could focus my powers on her, to protect her, to save her from the death that awaits her, but I knew when I entered this battle that sacrifices must be made. I had hoped that Kaede would not be one of those sacrifices, but I must not let memories of emotions sway me from my goal.

Naraku must be destroyed.

I send all of my energy into my arrows. They pierce him, but they do not destroy him. My last arrow should have killed him, but it did not. I have failed.

Inuyasha sends me a look that promises me a painful death. My aid in this battle does not exonerate me in his eyes. If he lives after this battle, it is assured that I will be dead shortly after. It is my fate. It was my decision after all.

And I am ready for that end. This mockery of life only serves only to remind me of what could have been, what should have been.

I am disappointed in my reincarnation.

I had hoped that she would have had the strength to defeat Naraku. Instead she holds the still kit in her arms, tears flooding down her face. Even from this distance I can hear her wailing. All of our hopes for victory had rested on her shoulders, but she failed us all. She has let her emotions control her. She will never be a true warrior.

This battle is lost.

The demons are overpowering us. The brother of Inuyasha as well as the prince of the wolf demon tribe have no hope of surviving the flood of demons descending upon them with the injuries they have sustained. Even the young female thunder demon who fought beside them fell as she attempted to protect the kit in Kagome's arms.

Inuyasha.

It defies logic that he still stands. His determination to defeat Naraku and to protect the young miko keeps him moving. He fights on sheer will alone. But that is not enough, not even for Inuyasha.

With a sad heart I watch as he falls to the ground. I have no hope left in me that he will stand again before this battle has been finished.

I summon the last of my strength to find my sister in the carnage. I sit beside her to reinforce the barrier she continues to hold. For as long as I am able, I will protect her. It is not much, this little bit of time, but it is all that I have to give.

That's when I hear the cry.

I look to find Kagome standing over Inuysha, the kit now laying in his arms, both still as death. Tears dry on her reddened cheeks she turns slowly to face Naraku alone.

"ENOUGH!"

She draws her arrow, her last arrow, and aims it at Naraku. He laughs at her, mocks her. His laughter dies as the pink glow surrounding her turns to a fire red, flaring around her, creating a whirlwind of energy.

In awe I sit and watch as the girl starts to control her anger and channels it into sheer purifying power, and her body glows pink once more. She grows brighter. The light surrounding her turns white as it spreads out, engulfing everything around it, even those of us inside of the barrier. Soon it is too bright for me to look upon.

With one last cry I feel the air around me grow cold, then the world shudders and becomes still.

Once I am able to I open my eyes I look around the battlefield. Naraku has been defeated. There is nothing left of his body, nor of any of the demons or incarnations he created. There is only scorched earth where they once stood and ashes falling from the sky like snow.

My sister sleeps beside me. It makes me glad that she survived after all. She is stronger than I remembered. Our parents would be proud.

As I stand, it strikes me as odd that I would be the only being left standing after the battle. I walk over to where my reincarnation has collapsed. Every ounce of her energy was in that arrow. Her entire soul.

A soft glow captures my attention.

The Shikon jewel lays half covered in dirt where Naraku had last stood. I reach down and pick up the nearly completed jewel and sigh.

After all this time, the jewel is once more under my protection.


	5. One Word

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me

One Word

_Stay._

_One word, that's all it would take._

_Stay._

Kagome sat on the edge of the well. One word would change her life. She knew that she would stay with him forever if he would just ask her.

_One simple stupid little four lettered word._

Since the battle with Naraku the hanyou had been acting strangely. Once more his eyes were the first thing Kagome had seen when she woke up. Only this time her sleep had lasted nearly three weeks due to the serious drain on her energy supply.

But this time Inuyasha didn't tell her that he loved her. This time he simply stared at her for a few moments then silently left the hut. More than anything else that had happened, that scared her.

Kagome had cried after he left. First from a strong sense of loss, then from absolute joy as she was greeted by familiar faces. Sango, Miroku, and Shippo were alive! Miroku and Shippo had healed completely, but Sango was still suffering from a severe limp and a broken arm. But she would heal with time.

Kagome knew that they were sparing her the details of just how bad their injuries had been. Or perhaps they simply weren't ready to talk about the horror that had been the battlefield. They weren't ready to think about how very close they came to losing everyone dear to them. At least that is how Kagome felt. She remembered how still they had been… and all the blood….

Pushing the memories aside she focused on the people around her. They were alive. Really and truly alive. Sango, Miroku, and Shippo had survived, and evidentally brought some friends with them.

Shippo's once rival, Souten the thunder demon, seemed reluctant to leave, so she was asked if she and her little red flying snake/dragon wanted to stay with them. She quickly said yes.

_See how easy it is Inuyasha? Stay. That's all you have to say._

It was another week before anyone would let Kagome leave her room. Her hanyou had returned to be her personal guard dog, though he still adamantly refused to speak. Nor would he look her in the eyes. It unnerved her.

She loved her friends, truly she did, but she was concerned that she may kill them if they did not give her a little bit of breathing space. It was easy to convince them to let her go home so that she could see her family. As soon as she said the word 'family', Sango and Miroku both looked towards Kohaku, who was busy cutting wood for Kaede. Another person who was asked to stay.

"This world is dangerous."

Kagome was so startled that she almost fell into the well. She hadn't even noticed Inuyasha dropping down beside her. As always, she marveled at how silent and graceful the young man could be.

"Yes. It is."

"There are still demons out there. Dangerous ones. And they will still be after the jewel." He stands and folds his clawed hands in the arms of his fire rat robe as he glares at the horizon.

"Probably so." She looks down at the not quite completed jewel around her neck. All the shards have been gathered. She just didn't have the heart to put it all together yet. _Once I do that… it really will be the end of the quest. _

She was not sure how she got the jewel. It was around her neck when she woke up. _Kaede knows, I'm sure of it._ But the older miko had steadfastedly refused to answer Kagome's questions.

"You could get killed."

The young woman laughs as she swings her legs gaily over the edge, facing Inuyasha completely. "I could get killed crossing the road back in my own era. There are no guarantees in life, you know."

Inuyasha grunts.

"I can't ask you to stay, Kagome. It wouldn't be fair to you. Go home. Be safe. Live in your warm house and sleep on your soft bed."

She frowned at her beloved idiot. "You want me to go home?"

He grunts again.

"You want me to find a husband to love…?"

He growls, claws digging into the dirt, but still refusing to look at her. She admits to herself that she is beginning to get a little bit of sadistic pleasure out of tormenting him. She figured he kinda deserved it for trying to make her go back to the future though.

"…and have babies with him?"

That got him to look at her, and a nice long colorful string of curse words to boot. Kagome quickly turns her back to him and faces the well so he wouldn't see her grin.

"What if I already have someone I love, Inuyasha?" She continues to look into the well. "What if I already found the man I want to have those babies with?"

She turns around and looks him in the eyes. "What if I am already home?"

Inuyasha turns quickly from her. She lets out a soft sigh and sits back on the well. She lets her legs dangle off of the sides. After one last look at the man she had fallen in love with, Kagome turns her attention back to the well.

"Stay." Inuyasha's voice was soft, and pleading.

He turned around when he was met with silence. Kagome was already gone.

Author's Notes: I just want to thank everyone who has reviewed this story. Originally it was just going to be a one-shot, but you guys inspired me to continue it for a few more chapters. Thank you very much! This isn't the last chapter, but I wanted to go ahead and thank everyone. Cya next chapter!


	6. One Family

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me

One Family

"This world is dangerous," Inuyasha tells her. She agrees. Of course, they are right, it really is a dangerous world. He tells her about the dangerous demons that will still come after the jewel. He's right again.

"You could get killed," he says to her. My heart grows cold. The thought of Kagome dying scares me to death. I don't know what I would do if she died.

She laughs. "I could get killed crossing the road back in my own era. There are no guarantees in life, you know."

Inuyasha grunts. "I can't ask you to stay, Kagome. It wouldn't be fair to you. Go home. Be safe. Live in your warm house and sleep on your soft bed."

I can't believe it. He's actually telling her to leave. To REALLY leave. Forever! I want to run out there and stop this. I want to make him shut up. I want to beg her to stay with us forever. I'll keep her safe! But I know that no matter how much I love her, it is Inuyasha that she will stay for, or leave because of.

"You want me to go home?"

He grunts again. I know he doesn't want her to leave. We ALL know he doesn't want her to leave.

"You want me to find a husband to love…?"

He growls, claws digging into the dirt, but still refuses to look at her. The idiot. Any fool can see that all she wants is for him to ask her to stay.

"…and have babies with him?"

That sure got his attention. I don't think I've ever heard that many curse words before. I'm sure about half of them were in the language of dog demons too. I sure do learn a lot from Inuyasha.

"What if I already have someone I love, Inuyasha? What if I already found the man I want to have those babies with?" She pauses, probably for effect. If it was, it was probably lost on Inuyasha. He's not good with catching anything subtle. "What if I am already home?"

Inuyasha turns away from her. My heart breaks as her shoulders slump and her head droops. I can tell that she's feeling defeated. I almost cry as she pushes herself quietly from the edge and drops into the well, swallowed up by time.

"Stay." Inuyasha's voice was soft, and pleading.

I almost felt sorry for him when I saw his expression as he turned around and noticed that Kagome had already left down the well. First he looked scared, then sad, then angry. I guess he has more depth than we all give him credit for. I watch from my hiding place in the bushes as he has some sort of internal battle.

"Leave!" He shouts angrily. "See if I care!"

He slumps down to the grass and leans against the well. After a moment he turns so that he can peek down, likely hoping that Kagome has changed her mind and came back. Maybe he was hoping that the well hadn't work. Who knows what goes through that head of his.

"She left…"

Poor Inuyasha looks so desolate that I almost come out of the bushes to console him. But before I can do that his mood changes and he is in a rage, hacking and slashing at everything in sight. Everything but the well, that is. No way is he taking any chances on damaging that thing. Everything else was fair game though. It makes me awfully glad I am still in hiding.

More cursing and growling, hacking and slashing. I think he's being rather a poor sport about things since he's the one who told her to go in the first place.

With one last growl he leaps down the well.

"About time," I said to myself.

"I agree, Shippo."

I should be surprised to see that Miroku was spying at the whole scene too. After looking around I notice that Sango and Kirara are hiding out too.

We leave the bushes and sit by the well to wait for Kagome and Inuyasha to return. It's practically a custom by now. They fight. She leaves. He goes to get her when he thinks we aren't looking. Sometimes they come back within minutes, sometimes hours. Sometimes days. Usually we'll sit around and talk bad about Inuyasha while we wait. If they are gone for more than a couple of hours we go back to the village.

Luckily we didn't have to wait too terribly long this time. After about half an hour Inuyasha came flying out of the well with a smug looking Kagome in his arms. He glares at us, yells at us to mind our own business, and then takes off into the trees with her.

"Let us head to Kaede's," Miroku suggests.

"Shouldn't we go after them," I ask.

Miroku smirks. "I don't think so, Shippo."

Kirara ends up carrying an unconscious Miroku back to the village after he makes a perverted remark. Sango never appreciates those kinds of remarks.

Inuyasha doesn't bring Kagome back to Kaede's that evening, so instead of ramen we have some stew. It doesn't taste as good, but it isn't bad. I miss Kagome when she isn't here. But it's good to know that at least she's HERE and not five hundred years in the future. I end up sleeping with Kirara and Sango instead. It's not as nice as when I sleep with Kagome. She gives me good-night kisses and tells me stories or sings me songs. Sango just says good-night then threatens Miroku.

Around lunchtime the next day they show up in the village.

She's here! She's finally here! I can't help myself, I really can't. I race to her and jump into her arms. It always makes me feel good inside when she holds me. It feels safe. It feels like home. Just being near her feels right.

"Kagome! I missed you!"

She laughs softly and hugs me tightly. "I was only gone for one night, Shippo."

"It seemed so much longer!"

It was the truth. This time it did seem like it was so much longer. This time it felt like it was forever. Maybe because this time we were so close to losing her forever because of that stupid Inuyasha.

That's when I notice something is different about them. They are standing a little closer together than usual. And they are looking at each other a little differently… warmer I guess. And there is something a little strange about the way they smell. I can't put my finger on it, but something feels… more complete.

We have always been a strange little family. Kagome has been like my mother since the day we met. She protected me from the Thunder Brothers. Inuyasha, though I hate to admit it, has been like a father. He protects us and provides for us. Sure he bops me on the head more than I'd like, but it's his warped way of disciplining me. The day he defeated the Thunder Brothers was the day we became a family.

Next Miroku joined our family. Inuyasha didn't trust him, or even like him, very much at first. Probably thought he was some sort of threat. Probably because he stole our shards of the jewel… and Kagome… It didn't feel like he was actually part of the family until we found Sango and Kirara. Miroku and Sango are like an uncle and aunt, and Kirara feels like a cousin of sorts. A strange family, but still a family.

And now it feels like it's more real.

Sango drags Kagome away to talk. Inuyasha, to keep away from Miroku, goes to show Kohaku a better way to cut wood. Show off.

Kohaku is a member of our extended family now. Souten is too. And since Rin likes Kohaku, Sesshomaru brings her by often. They are two more people to add to our extended family.

Humans, demons, half demons… some of us have even died and come back. Who would have thought that one family could be so different. Kagome says that blood doesn't make a family, that love does. You are born into some families, and chosen to be in others. We were all alone until Kagome found us. I'm glad we chose each other.

"Are you home for good, Kagome?"

She smiles at me with a brilliant smile and touches her nose to mine. "Yes, Shippo. I'm home for good."

I want to shout for joy. I want to race around. It feels like I'm on a sugar high. It feels good to be a family.

Really REALLY good.

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Author's Note: Not quite the end yet, hope y'all can hang on for one more chapter. Thanks again to everyone who reviewed! It definitely spurred me on to keep writing.


	7. One Arrow

Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me

One Arrow

For the last time we meet. We watch each other warily from a distance before slowly walking forward. We meet in the middle of the clearing.

She looks stronger now, more sure of herself. I should be glad that I played some part in that, no matter how small. Her eyes are filled with suspicion, and a slight trace of fear. What surprises me is that there is no sign of hatred or malice in those eyes.

"I see you are well, my reincarnation."

Her eyes narrow slightly. "I am Kagome, and no one else."

I feel a presence coming closer to us. An aura of anger and hatred, more demon than human. Inuyasha is on his way. He knows that I am here, and he knows his mate is with me. I can not help but wince as I hear him scream her name.

Quickly I put up a barrier around us. Kagome's hand flies to her belly as she calls out Inuyasha's name. But she knows as I do that he will not get through. This conversation is not for him.

Her actions cause me to study her closer. She's pregnant.

I can feel what is left of my heart sink. It was inevitable I suppose, yet still startling. One more thing that she has that I will never have. A child. I fight to hold the anger stirring in me at bay. It is not fair! Why? She does not belong to this time, to this world, yet she has come and taken the things that should have rightfully have belonged to me!

"He loved me first." I want to lash out. I want to hurt her. I want this pain in my heart to go away. I ignore the howls of rage beyond the barrier.

"He did." She faces me with fire in her eyes, hands protective on her belly. Protecting the child that might have been mine had the fates been more kind.

"I loved him."

She stands tall and defiant. "Not enough."

I want to argue, to call her a liar. But I know that I can not. I did not love him enough. Anger begins to dissipate, replaced with sorrow. I regret that I did not have enough trust and love when I was alive. I regret that I never felt the kind of love that Kagome allows herself to feel.

I regret.

Her eyes soften with sympathy. Her heart is too big. One day it shall be her downfall. I pull the blood stained arrow from my quiver. She recognizes it immediately. It is the one I had used to pin her to a tree. The one that nearly killed her.

This time she does not stand meekly before me, ready to face her fate. This time her body glows in a pink fire. The power radiating from her is impressive. It is no longer a young girl who faces me, it is a woman, a mother, ready to fight for her family at the cost of all else. I can almost feel the world tremble.

I take my bow and my arrow and move closer to her. I feel a burning sensation that grows hotter with each step I take, until I am sure that I will burst into flames. How great has her power grown?

I throw the arrow at Kagome's feet, followed by the bow.

The air around me cools as she looks at me in confusion, once again looking like a young girl rather than the fierce warrior I saw moments ago.

"It is time for you to end this."

I step back and await my fate. I spare one glance at the hanyou who is still trying to break my barrier. I wish him well. I would like to have wished for a second chance with him, but I know that his life would not have been a happy one for me. And regardless of the rage he currently exhibits, he is happy now… with her.

"What do you mean, Kikyo?"

"Take the bow and the arrow. Do what you must."

She does not bend to take the bow and arrow. She looks at it, then stared at me. Slowly understanding crosses her features.

"I don't want to kill you."

I glare at her and her stupidity. "Don't be a fool. As long as I am alive I will be a threat to you and your family."

She chews on her bottom lip thoughtfully, then bends to pick up the arrow, leaving the bow where it was on the ground. She twirls it in her fingers as she studies it. I have to wonder what is taking her so long. I had not thought her to be so cruel as to draw out an execution, even of her most bitter enemy.

"You know, I think I'll keep the arrow, just in case. But I can't kill you, Kikyo."

"Don't be a fool, girl!" She smiles at me. It is infuriating. "I am a danger to you and your family. To your _child_!"

"Yeah, well, that's why I'm keeping the arrow." She twirls it in her fingers. "But I don't think you are a threat, not really. Not anymore."

Why does she not want revenge? I do not understand. I tell her so.

"I can't change the past, Kikyo. And I can't blame you. I wanted to. I used to even hate you because I thought that Inuyasha loved you. I was jealous. VERY jealous." She leans against the tree behind her. "You could have killed me easily… hundreds of times. You could have talked Inuyasha into looking for the jewel shards with you. After all, you could see them too. But you didn't."

"I shot you in the heart with the arrow you hold in your hands."

"Hmmm. I guess so. Except… I know that you could have actually hit the heart instead of just above it. You never miss what you aim for. Yet, somehow you managed to miss anything vital. I know that you didn't really want me dead."

"Think what you like."

She laughs merrily. "Don't worry, I will. I always do."

Silently we watch each other. I decide to confess.

"I do not know what to do."

Kagome leaves the tree and comes to stand beside me. She lays a hand on my shoulder, wincing as Inuyasha screams her name and pounds on the barrier. The same barrier that I know that she is helping to reinforce.

"What do you want to do? You have a second chance at life, it is a gift. A rare and precious gift. Please don't waste it."

I had hoped for a quick death. I was prepared to face the wrath of my enemy and pay for the crimes I know that I have committed against her and those she loves. I did not expect this. She was letting me go. She was giving me forgiveness.

After giving her a curt nod I pick up my bow and walk away. This is the last time I will see her. I won't be coming back.

The barrier drops and I listen as Inuyasha scolds his mate and inspects her for any damage. I was sure that he was going to come after me to deliver my fate, my death. But it seems that his concern for Kagome and their child outweighs his need for vengeance.

I smile.

Somewhere up ahead lies my destiny. I think I will take this gift that has been given to me. I wish you well, Kagome. May the fates be kind to you.

The End

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Author's Note: I just want to thank everyone who reviewed. You encouraged me to take a one-shot and turn it into something bigger and, I hope, better.

Although it was sad finally ending the story, I am reminded of the phrase from Alice in Wonderland, "When you come to the end…stop. Hope y'all liked it!


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